who we are

Toucan is an eco-system that supports your creative potential as a long term partner through the tough start-up phases by using our Mentor and Investor network specialising in Food & Beverage, Lifestyle and Retail.

what we do

We cultivate your future potential

IN-HOUSE

We take you under our wing by offering you long-term business support and connecting you with the Toucan Ecosystem

PARTNERS

We use our connections to get you hard to match services

MENTORS

We match you up with a Mentor and Guru who will add rocket fuel to your business

INVESTMENT PARTNERS

We work with you using our investor network to help you secure appropriate funding

our criteria

We are looking for creative ideas and companies:

That are based in London or Greater London

In the Food and Beverage, Lifestyle, or Retail industries

That have passionate, committed and ambitious founders

With a clear market opportunity

That are commercially scalable

the toucan process

1. PITCH

PITCH YOUR CREATIVE BUSINESS

2. INITIAL FEEDBACK

YOU WILL RECEIVE INITIAL FEEDBACK ON WHETHER YOUR BUSINESS MEETS OUR CRITERIA WITHIN 7-10 BUSINESS DAYS OF THE APPLICATION

3. INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

YOUR APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED TO TOUCAN'S INVESTMENT COMMITTEE FOR REVIEW

4. NEXT STEPS

OUR INVESTMENT COMMITTEE WILL PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON YOUR BUSINESS WHICH WE WILL DISCUSS WITH YOU

5. SUPPORT

WE WILL HELP PREPARE YOU AND WORK WITH YOU TO CONNECT YOU WITH THE TOUCAN ECOSYSTEM OF MENTORS, PARTNERS, AND INVESTMENT PARTNERS

the team

Meet Our Vibrant Toucan Team

Rasha Khawaja

Founder & CEO

Rasha Khawaja is the founder and CEO of Toucan. Rasha’s innate desire for knowledge took her to Brown University where she studied Psychiatry and Cognitive Science. Further education followed at both Oxford University and Cambridge University before Rasha started her career at Condé Nast Publications and went on to work at Christie’s. These experiences heightened her entrepreneurial drive and after spotting a gap in the market for a way to help creatives get their businesses out in front of influential business luminaries, Toucan was born. Rasha’s passion for innovation and nurturing new talent and business continues through her role as a member of the UKBAA, and being an active member of the advisory board of Innovation RCA and the development and strategy board of the ZSL. Rasha also sits on the board of the Oxford Business School as well as the Oxford Global Leadership Council and is a Founding Ambassador on the Prince’s Trust Women Supporting Women Council. Outside of the world of Toucan, Rasha is a devoted mother and an adventurous traveller who one day hopes to conquer Kilimanjaro and to walk The Great Wall of China. Rasha is also dedicated to a number of charities and sits on the board of ‘The Playing For Change Foundation’, as well as supporting her family’s charity, ‘The Said Foundation’. Toucan Ventures were proud to win ‘One to Watch – Best Entrant to the Angel Ecosystem’ at the 2016 Angel Investment Awards as well as being nominated for the Employer of the Year – Women in Finance Awards 2018.

Judit Petho

Senior Strategic Advisor

For the past decade Judit worked in CEO and COO positions in large and growing businesses both in the UK and internationally, building networks in the investor and advisory communities. Having been based in London for 14 years, as an advisor Judit supports leadership teams of growing companies, helping them drive ambitious growth plans. In her last CEO role she raised substantial funds continuously for three years for the scale up of an innovative start-up legal business with a unique product. As CEO she managed demanding shareholders, clients, investment bankers and workforce, product development, expansion and go-to-market drives. Previously Judit was global COO of a $3.6bn business, where in addition to expansions all over the world, she built up the Central European coverage and created a EUR100m entity in Germany from 11 different firms, then took up leadership of the resulting business. Before Judit’s first COO appointment she worked across Europe for top consultancy businesses like Andersens as an international tax structurer and corporate lawyer servicing multinational clients. Judit’s education includes a legal degree (JD), postgraduate economics studies and international MBA specialising in Managing for Growth.

Erin Oberholtzer

Startup Manager

Prior to joining Toucan, Erin spent the majority of her career working in finance, originally as a trader and structurer at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the United States. She is also the co-founder of a startup focusing on data analytics within the education space. Erin holds a B.A in Economics with honours from the University of Chicago and an M.B.A from London Business School. In the role of Startup Manager, Erin guides all Toucan entrepreneurs from their initial interaction with the company through to developing business strategy all the way to fundraise. Outside of Toucan, Erin enjoys taking advantage of the vast array of culinary opportunities in London.

Angela Ririe

Startup Manager

Prior to joining Toucan, Angela spent the majority of her career working in finance in various sales, structuring and research roles. Angela has an MSc in Financial Mathematics from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from London Business School. Angela has always been passionate about the creative industries and initially became involved with startups during her MBA. In the role of Startup Manager, Angela guides all Toucan entrepreneurs on the development of their business strategy. When she’s not at Toucan, Angela can be found perusing art in galleries across London, that is when she’s not busy trying to get a reservation at the newest restaurants in town.

Charlotte Dugdale

Analyst

Charlotte was raised in The Fiji Islands before coming to the UK to complete her bachelor’s degree. Having graduated with first class honours in English Literature, she has been a published reporter for The Fiji Times. During her time at university, she wrote articles and produced videos for The Tab, the fastest growing student media start up in the UK and the USA. Instilled with a passion for the creative industries and start-ups, Charlotte has looked towards Toucan to develop and refine her skills.

Fernando Goyanes

Finance & Operations Manager

Fernando is a finance, strategy and technology professional with extensive experience in financial management, operations analysis, finance projects, business planning and information systems. During his career he has worked for different companies including several global successful corporations, very profitable SMEs and supporting several start-ups up to their establishment and consolidation.

Fernando holds a BA focused on Tourism and Business Administration, a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Management, a Master’s in Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility and a Certificate in Data Science. He holds professional qualifications in key areas, such as project management, accounting and financial analysis.

our advisory board

Gabriella Windsor

Director of Arts and Travel, Branding Latin America Group

Gabriella Windsor, Director of Arts and Travel at Branding Latin America Group, is a keen and experienced advocate for social enterprise. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Playing for Change Foundation, a non profit providing communities in need with music and arts education, as well as wider schooling and basic community services. Since graduating from Brown University she has written about social and cultural topics worldwide. She spent six months in the Middle East, taught in some of Brazil’s most challenged favelas, supported crucial health work for Amazonian village communities and curated arts events with emerging artists and musicians in Buenos Aires. She also undertook extensive research with socio-educational dance initiative The School of the Body in Colombia as part of her recent Masters at Oxford University in Social Anthropology.

Camilla Al Fayed

Owner, Farmacy

Camilla Al Fayed was born in London and educated in Surrey.

From the age of sixteen and throughout her twenties, Camilla worked for Harrods, the family business, working and gaining experience across all departments.

Following her interest in fashion, Camilla worked as a buyer for her sister’s brand, Jasmine Di Milo, and with British and American Vogue.

Alongside the family business, Camilla began visiting hospitals and hospices with her father in her early teens. In 2005, she began a more active role with the AlFayed Charity Foundation in 2005 and became an ambassador and patron of many charitable foundations.

In September 2011, Issa London brand was acquired and Camilla became Chairwoman, responsible for the brand and directing expansion.

Camilla set up the plant based restaurant Farmacy in London’s Notting Hill in 2016 and her life’s passion is about creating a space for healthy, organic eating within the concept of ‘Food is Medicine’. She and her team run this successful restaurant in the heart of West London’s food district.